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wendy_aebi's review against another edition
3.0
(Rounded up from 2.5) I honestly donāt know if I liked this book or not. I think Iām leaning toward not. I liked all the characters less and less as the story unfolded. It was about the family we build for ourselves, which I normally like, but overall I think Jane and Duncan werenāt all that interesting and the quirkiness of their friends was just too over the top for my taste.
elysahenegar's review against another edition
5.0
I have so much good to say about this book that I don't know where to begin! The writing is excellent--authentic, beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking in the way that life just *is*. The characters are flawed and also so lovely, in just the way that loved ones truly are--one moment amazing and the next stumbling, but always essential. This book made me laugh and cry and underneath it all, I thought about what makes life wonderful and grand but also so hard. In Jimmy, I discovered a character so reminiscent of my favorite exceptional people; I could relate to so many of Jane's feelings about him. This is another beautiful and endearing found family book! Some of these characters will irritate you with their habits, their ideas, their choices, and then you will discover that you have great affection for them anyway.
michellekmartin's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful, warm, charming story. The premise of this book - woman moves to a small town and gets to know a cast of quirky characters - could easily come off as a caricature of small-town life or ridiculous with it's humor. But Heiny manages to avoid all that and writes a wonderfully light story full of depth.
This book is quietly funny and full of so many lovable (and unlovable) characters. What I loved most was Heiny's ability to write about the mundaneness of everyday life in such a fascinating and tender way. It's the same reason I absolutely loved Monogamy by Sue Miller. Nothing 'big' happens in this book but we get to follow along over the course of a few decades as the characters get to know each other and form a family of their own.
I loved the music references, the quirky characters (there were, at moments, shades of Gilmore Girls evident in this one!), the small-town charm, the humor and the beautiful way that Heiny shared this story.
This book is quietly funny and full of so many lovable (and unlovable) characters. What I loved most was Heiny's ability to write about the mundaneness of everyday life in such a fascinating and tender way. It's the same reason I absolutely loved Monogamy by Sue Miller. Nothing 'big' happens in this book but we get to follow along over the course of a few decades as the characters get to know each other and form a family of their own.
I loved the music references, the quirky characters (there were, at moments, shades of Gilmore Girls evident in this one!), the small-town charm, the humor and the beautiful way that Heiny shared this story.
melissacushman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Quirky and dryly hilarious, this book is just a giant damn HUG. Loved it so much. Also loved āStandard Deviationā by the author so Iām eagerly awaiting more of her work!
aurigae's review against another edition
4.0
When Jane moves to Boyne City, she quickly takes up with Duncan - and almost as quickly, discovers that he comes with baggage, in particular his meddling ex-wife, Aggie, and his needy employee, Jimmy. But Jane has baggage of her own: a difficult mother and her own need for connection. Over the better part of two decades, Jane's and Duncan's lives become enmeshed, and this deliberately-paced novel chronicles Jane's slow absorption into, and slower acceptance of, her own life.
Not snarkily humorous like Standard Deviation but, still, the portrait of a marriage - and, more, the unconventional relationships adults can form over the duration of a life and the ways those relationships can frustrate and fulfill us. A satisfying and engrossing read.
Not snarkily humorous like Standard Deviation but, still, the portrait of a marriage - and, more, the unconventional relationships adults can form over the duration of a life and the ways those relationships can frustrate and fulfill us. A satisfying and engrossing read.
heather425's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded to 3 because this takes place in Michigan. I do not understand the love for this book. It was all telling the reader and not showing us anything. Another reviewer mentions it glosses over bad things and then tells the reader about them. There was no action to the book. And the stories of the classroom would never have happened in this century. Maybe in the days before standardized testing, but not now. Too many rules and guidelines now that would not allow a teacher to do the things Jane does with her class. All the characters were boring. I was in it for the Michigan references.
silverneurotic's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
atirandomness's review against another edition
2.0
Hm. Well. This is a story about a girl (Jane) who likes a guy (Duncan) and she lives.
Thatās it. Thatās the story.
Weāre just following limp noodle Jane as she lives her mostly uneventful life. She has zero depth, zero personality, zero realism and zero logic. She just sort of exists and wants to get married. Sheās friends with a bunch of equally ridiculous and underdeveloped characters. Duncan is the main love interest and his entire personality is āguy who slept with a ton of women and doesnāt want to get marriedā. Thereās a second love interest briefly and his personality is āguy who does want to get marriedā.
Anyway, some shit happens and Jane irrationally decides it is her responsibility to take care of the developmentally challenged Jimmy whose sole purpose in this story is to be developmentally challenged. (Donāt even get me started on the way the author handles special needs characters)
Once Jane starts caring for Jimmy her personality shifts to āGirl who feels responsible for Jimmy and also still sorta wants to get marriedā So the book goes on for several more agonizing chapters that are just filled with Jane taking care of Jimmy and Duncan not wanting to get married. I wonāt spoil the nonexistent plot for anyone whoās fresh out of wet paint to watch but basically very little happens after that. Jane and Duncan get married and have kids but not even for normal reasons. Itās not a love story. Theyāre not sweet and cute. He still doesnāt want to get married. They just exist. Which is more than I can say about the plot.
Which does not.
Exist that is.
There is no plot. No conflict, no growth, no moralā¦ just vibes. Boring vibes. The few times a whiff of drama comes along, we get a time jump that blasts us a few years into the future where the issue is resolved so we donāt have to talk about it.
Iām actually really proud of myself for finishing this non story.
Everyone in this book is ridiculous. Their actions and reactions are ridiculous. The things they say, think and feel are ridiculous. Itās all just RIDICULOUS. And managing to achieve āridiculousā in a story where absolutely nothing happens is. fucking. ridiculous. If this story were written by an author who knows how to do character development and has the ability to create real, relatable and complex characters (like [a:Suanne Laqueur|8317803|Suanne Laqueur|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403016536p2/8317803.jpg] for example), I possibly could have enjoyed this story.. maybe... But if you want me to sit around and watch your characters just live their lives with no real plot, you have to meet me halfway. This author/reader relationship is an equal partnership. You GIVE and I mostly take. BUT SOMETIMES I give a pass for boring stories. BUT I ONLY GIVE THOSE PASSES !!!! WHEN !!! you have characters who feel like real people with interesting personalities who I can care about. There are some fictional book characters out there who I could read about all day.. They donāt need a plot because theyāre fun and interesting to just hang out with. .
There are less than zero characters like that in this book. There isnāt even a cute dog to care about. This shit should have stayed in the drafts folder but Iām going to give 2 stars because the audiobook narrator (Kate Rudd) is someone I usually avoid because she has a bland voice and sort of reads like she doesnāt have a nose and thereās like a 1.5% chance sheās the reason this story was so bland to me. I doubt a more lively narrator could have made a difference considering the whole no plot/no personality thing but Iām in a good mood so take my pity star and like it, damnit!!
Thatās it. Thatās the story.
Weāre just following limp noodle Jane as she lives her mostly uneventful life. She has zero depth, zero personality, zero realism and zero logic. She just sort of exists and wants to get married. Sheās friends with a bunch of equally ridiculous and underdeveloped characters. Duncan is the main love interest and his entire personality is āguy who slept with a ton of women and doesnāt want to get marriedā. Thereās a second love interest briefly and his personality is āguy who does want to get marriedā.
Anyway, some shit happens and Jane irrationally decides it is her responsibility to take care of the developmentally challenged Jimmy whose sole purpose in this story is to be developmentally challenged. (Donāt even get me started on the way the author handles special needs characters)
Once Jane starts caring for Jimmy her personality shifts to āGirl who feels responsible for Jimmy and also still sorta wants to get marriedā So the book goes on for several more agonizing chapters that are just filled with Jane taking care of Jimmy and Duncan not wanting to get married. I wonāt spoil the nonexistent plot for anyone whoās fresh out of wet paint to watch but basically very little happens after that. Jane and Duncan get married and have kids but not even for normal reasons. Itās not a love story. Theyāre not sweet and cute. He still doesnāt want to get married. They just exist. Which is more than I can say about the plot.
Which does not.
Exist that is.
There is no plot. No conflict, no growth, no moralā¦ just vibes. Boring vibes. The few times a whiff of drama comes along, we get a time jump that blasts us a few years into the future where the issue is resolved so we donāt have to talk about it.
Iām actually really proud of myself for finishing this non story.
Everyone in this book is ridiculous. Their actions and reactions are ridiculous. The things they say, think and feel are ridiculous. Itās all just RIDICULOUS. And managing to achieve āridiculousā in a story where absolutely nothing happens is. fucking. ridiculous. If this story were written by an author who knows how to do character development and has the ability to create real, relatable and complex characters (like [a:Suanne Laqueur|8317803|Suanne Laqueur|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403016536p2/8317803.jpg] for example), I possibly could have enjoyed this story.. maybe... But if you want me to sit around and watch your characters just live their lives with no real plot, you have to meet me halfway. This author/reader relationship is an equal partnership. You GIVE and I mostly take. BUT SOMETIMES I give a pass for boring stories. BUT I ONLY GIVE THOSE PASSES !!!! WHEN !!! you have characters who feel like real people with interesting personalities who I can care about. There are some fictional book characters out there who I could read about all day.. They donāt need a plot because theyāre fun and interesting to just hang out with. .
There are less than zero characters like that in this book. There isnāt even a cute dog to care about. This shit should have stayed in the drafts folder but Iām going to give 2 stars because the audiobook narrator (Kate Rudd) is someone I usually avoid because she has a bland voice and sort of reads like she doesnāt have a nose and thereās like a 1.5% chance sheās the reason this story was so bland to me. I doubt a more lively narrator could have made a difference considering the whole no plot/no personality thing but Iām in a good mood so take my pity star and like it, damnit!!